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Event

Pirelli Portuguese Round Race 2

Started 99 days, 7 hours, 10 minutes ago

Date & Time
Sun 29th March 2026 3:30pm Local
Sun 29th March 2026 2:30pm UTC

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League
SBK

Season
2026

Round
Round 2

Status
FT

Location

Algarve International Circuit

Video Highlights

Play on YouTube

Event Statistics

Description

The final event of the Portimão weekend at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve sees the World Superbike field face the "Rollercoaster" one last time. The primary challenge for the riders is managing tire degradation across the 20-lap distance, especially given the rising track temperatures that can make the front end feel vague over the blind crests. The objective for Nicolò Bulega is to achieve a second consecutive season-opening treble, while the rest of the field, led by Iker Lecuona and home favorite Miguel Oliveira, aims to disrupt the Ducati’s early-season dominance.

Strategically, Race 2 often comes down to who can maintain a consistent mid-1'40s pace as the Pirelli rubber begins to drop off. The goal for the Bimota by Kawasaki riders, Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani, is to leverage the stability of the KB998 package to challenge for a podium in the final laps. The tactical focus for Sam Lowes on the Marc VDS Ducati remains on securing a top-five finish to build momentum in the championship standings. With the passionate Portuguese fans supporting Oliveira, the ultimate goal for the elite grid is to survive the physical demand of 20 laps and finish the European leg's opening round with maximum points.

Reports

Result List

01	Nicolo Bulega	Aruba.it Racing – Ducati	WIN
02	Iker Lecuona	Aruba.it Racing – Ducati	+1.967
03	Miguel Oliveira	BMW Motorrad	+7.096
04	Alex Lowes	Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team	+7.265
05	Sam Lowes	Elf Marc VDS Racing Team	+10.079
06	Lorenzo Baldassarri	Team Goeleven	+15.105
07	Danilo Petrucci	BMW Motorrad	+16.508
08	Axel Bassani	Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team	+17.743
09	Andrea Locatelli	Pata Maxus Yamaha	+22.139
10	Remy Gardner	GRT Racing Team	+22.610
11	Stefano Manzi	GRT Racing Team	+26.370
12	Jonathan Rea	_Retired Motorsport	+35.353
13	Tommy Bridewell	Honda Racing UK	+38.560
14	Xavi Vierge	Pata Maxus Yamaha	+38.958
15	Somkiat Chantra	Honda Racing Corporation	+39.124
16	Yari Montella	Barni Spark Racing Team	+6L
17	Alvaro Bautista	Barni Spark Racing Team	DNF
18	Garrett Gerloff	Kawasaki WorldSBK Team	DNF
19	Tarran Mackenzie	MGM Optical Express Racing	DNF
20	Alberto Surra	Motocorsa Racing	DNF
21	Bahattin Sofuoglu	Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team	DNF
22	Mattia Rato	Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team	DNF

Result Description

Nicolò Bulega completed a perfect weekend on Sunday, March 29, 2026, by claiming victory in the second full-distance race. Bulega’s objective was a flag-to-flag victory, and he achieved it by grabbing the holeshot and maintaining a rhythmic 1.9-second lead over his teammate. This win marked Bulega's tenth consecutive victory of the 2026 season, bringing him just one win shy of the all-time record for consecutive wins to start a season.

The podium was a mirror image of the weekend's previous races. Iker Lecuona secured a strong second place after an early battle with Miguel Oliveira and Alex Lowes. Oliveira once again delighted the home crowd by taking third, successfully fending off a late-race charge from Alex Lowes, who finished just 0.169 seconds behind the BMW. Sam Lowes rounded out the top five, while Lorenzo Baldassarri impressed by finishing sixth after fighting up from the middle of the pack. The race saw several casualties, including Alvaro Bautista and Yari Montella, who both crashed out at the tricky Turn 5, allowing Bulega to leave Portugal with a commanding 56-point lead in the championship.

1 /Nicolo Bulega /Aruba.it Racing Ducati /WIN
2 /Iker Lecuona /Aruba.it Racing Ducati /+1.967
3 /Miguel Oliveira /ROKiT BMW Motorrad /+7.096
4 /Alex Lowes /Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team /+7.265
5 /Sam Lowes /Marc VDS Racing Team /+10.079
6 /Lorenzo Baldassarri /Team Go Eleven /+15.105
7 /Danilo Petrucci /ROKiT BMW Motorrad /+16.508
8 /Axel Bassani /Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team /+17.743
9 /Andrea Locatelli /Pata Maxus Yamaha /+22.139
10 /Remy Gardner /GYTR GRT Yamaha /+22.610
11 /Stefano Manzi /GYTR GRT Yamaha /+26.370
12 /Jonathan Rea /HRC Test Team /+35.353
13 /Tommy Bridewell /Superbike Advocates Racing /+38.560
14 /Xavi Vierge /Pata Maxus Yamaha /+38.958
15 /Somkiat Chantra /Honda HRC /+39.124
16 /Yari Montella /Barni Spark Racing /+6L
17 /Alvaro Bautista /Barni Spark Racing /DNF
18 /Garrett Gerloff /Kawasaki WorldSBK Team /DNF
19 /Tarran Mackenzie /MGM Optical Express Racing /DNF
20 /Alberto Surra /Motocorsa Racing /DNF
21 /Bahattin Sofuoglu /Motoxracing Yamaha /DNF
22 /Mattia Rato /Motoxracing Yamaha /DNF
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Top 10 Driver Standings after PORTUGAL

1 /Nicolo Bulega /Aruba.it Racing Ducati /124
2 /Iker Lecuona /Aruba.it Racing Ducati /68
3 /Axel Bassani /Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team /60
4 /Miguel Oliveira /ROKiT BMW Motorrad /56
5 /Alex Lowes /Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team /48
6 /Sam Lowes /Marc VDS Racing Team /43
7 /Lorenzo Baldassarri /Team Go Eleven /40
8 /Danilo Petrucci /ROKiT BMW Motorrad /31
9 /Yari Montella /Barni Spark Racing /30
10 /Alvaro Bautista /Barni Spark Racing /27

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